Musicians, Get Your Marketing Running

Marketing Musicians:

Musicians are not the ones spending most time online, they practice. If you’re among the marketing musicians, it’s time to get your marketing up and running. there are some actions that are better than others AND there are some strategies that works better than others. Let’s have a look at what marketing is and what you need to succeed.

MUSICIANS AND MUSIC MARKETING IN GENERAL

First of all, it’s important to mention that your music gives you a great advantage. Music has always been and will always be something that connects people in a very special way. Using your music as a part of your marketing is important. You probably do already, but how you use it and what more you do, matters.

Your music is not enough, because your music isn’t you. You have to be a part of your marketing. The difference is huge between those who only market their music and those who also market themselves. The combination of letting your audience get to know you as well as your music creates a bond between you and your audience. The marketing musicians get a better connection between themselves and their audience, which is what you want to make happen for you. When you find the audience that knows you well ahead of your promotion of your concerts, you will notice that your audience help you to promote it by inviting others to join them on the concert. They will talk about the coming concert, simply because they are looking forward to your visit, wherever your concert is. How much better isn’t that, instead of just reaching those who just happened to or almost accidentally turn up on your concert/gig/session or whatever you do.

It doesn’t matter what kind of music you play. Marketing musicians have a huge advantage, even against local heros, when the marketing is done properly. You can reach both a local audience and another, more distant audience online. The latter will just as much have the feeling of knowing you, if you have made your presence and started marketing of your concert in time. If you are a recording artist or band, if you like touring, playing on festivals, playing dance music, being a DJ – doesn’t matter. Those who have the best connection with an audience and learn how to grow their audience are the ones who gets the attention, locally and online. This is why local marketing is just as important as online marketing. The easier it is to find you and your music, the more attention you will get. I’m quite sure you can find great examples of this when you search for marketing musicians you know are good at it.

MARKETING PLAN

Making a marketing plan is important, mainly for yourself. The better the plan, the more targeted your marketing is. This will help you making sure that you reach an audience that want to hear your music. When you make your plan as a combination of local marketing and online marketing, you will also notice that you reach out to more people online and offline. Your plan will also make your marketing cheaper and easier as you get the experience of marketing. You build yourself content that helps people search for you instead of you searching for them. That is a bonus that will save you a lot of time and money.

LOCAL MARKETING

When you know the area you’re want to start your success, you also know who to turn to to make your marketing efficient locally. Many musicians believe they are known in their local community just because they live there. They are not aware of the fact that every artist on radio, commercials, tv, video channels, social media are their real competition. People don’t know what is going on locally unless you give them the proof. You have to be visible locally to succeed locally.

BANNERS AND POSTERS

Maybe you believe in banners and posters? If that’s what you believe in or that is all you do, you have a problem. You will probably not cover your weekly expenses on rehearsing (just a guess, of course). Banners and posters are great as a reminder of what you tell people elsewhere in your marketing. No one should just keep hanging up their posters and believe that all the tickets are sold. Some will be sold, but you can get a bigger audience by using a website, social media (you don’t have to like social media to use it, you need to know how to use it for marketing) and your local contacts. Posters and banners alone, is not enough anymore, there are too many banners and posters.

ADS

Placing an ad in the newspaper, might help for some. A lot of people don’t read ads, not to mention that a lot of people don’t read newspapers. The readers are happy that others place their ads in the newspaper, so the paper gets cheaper. Ads have to be different from others to be noticed, but when everyone tries to be different it’s looks more like a jungle of colours than commercial. There is nothing wrong in using ads as a part of your marketing, but just placing an ad is not enough anymore.

PRODUCTS

Artists or bands having their own music recorded have an advantage to those who don’t. Even if you just recorded one song or work, you are in front of all those who haven’t done that yet. This is the kind of marketing that people can relate to, and it can be your ticket to a large crowd on every concert, gig or session. You and/or your band should be in front of your recording, and even if you don’t concider releasing it, you should record and make a video for your marketing. This will help you build your audience.

ONLINE MARKETING

Musicians are not usually using online marketing. Instead they use the time to practice. Online marketing can be very time consuming, but it doesn’t have to be. You can make it very efficient and at the same time keep in touch with your audience. How to do this, is a part of what this site is about, so by looking around you will find more and more tips, hints and trainings on how to be the boss of your own marketing. When you master it, you might find yourself mainly practicing, while a lot of your marketing is automated and you get time to concentrate on being a better musicians, compose more, work on your big plans in life and make your life the success you want. Especially when combined with local marketing.

ONLINE SOFTWARE

To save time and money on your marketing and the training you need to master your marketing, there are different kinds of software you may want to consider. This depends partly on how you find your marketing natural. You find software promising you a golden future without doing anything and there are software that actually helps you. The “golden” ones are usually of no use, they often looks great, but there is nothing to gain. Software that is serious and works in marketing admit that you have to do something, but what you do can become a lot more efficient and help you reach a larger audience.

It is a natural part of this site to give reviews on some sites that works and also reviews on the kind to stay away from. There are lots of programs and offers, but many of them are pure scams, others are just too expensive and some are just not working as they tell you. Making money as a part of your online activity is also very tempting. It is possible, but there are lots of traps on the internet. This site will give you some reviews on what works, how it works, how you can benefit from it and what you should stay away from.

SOCIAL MEDIA

Keeping in touch with your audience doesn’t necessarily mean that you need to know everyone personally. It simply means that you let them know who you are. When you reply to everything your audience ask you, you are doing yourself a favor. When you tell your audience about what they should be aware of, what’s next, where you are playing, what you are playing and maybe why you are playing, they get to know you in a very different way. This is in your favor. They turn up at your concerts, because they know you. How to use different kinds of social media is a part of what you will find on this site.

WEBSITE

Using a website is essential in all marketing these days, not only online. Every shop, company or person who want some attention does have a website. Musicians are not so eager to get this part of their marketing straight. Being very occupied about making music, it is understandable, but the ones who noticed that every marketer use a website, has a tendency of succeeding more. More people find them, because they are searchable around the clock.

Well, it’s time to get your marketing running! and if you found this article useful, please comment below, and if you know someone who could use this information, you are welcome to share.

2 thoughts on “Musicians, Get Your Marketing Running”

Thank you for this list. It is fascinating how the marketing plan for the film and theater (actors work) is the same as for musicians. We want that our audience hears us and loves us. Well you want to reach to your audience, and I want to reach to directors and producers (that’s quite different lol)

However, it comes to the same list when we talk about marketing in general. It is so important to have a good plan and starting point. I think that the right place for start is the Wealthy Affiliate since it features all the tools and knowledge we all need to start an online business or promotion 🙂

Thanks Sunny,
Yes, you’re right, I agree in your points here.
The audience is very important for a musician as well as actors. That does not mean we’re done with our marketing. I see so many musicians trying to find a manager or a record company for making a deal, without success. My point here is this: when you first build an audience that you build a relation to, you show that what you do has a potential of being a great success. Working on building that relationship online, means that you might as well end up with the manager or record company calling you. When that is the case, you will probably get a lot better deal.

WA offers great trainings to improve your marketing skills and use it more effectively. I was very critical when looking for options and WA far exceeds the competition.

It’s great to see you got to the same conclusion, and I’m happy to see that you can use the same stuff for your marketing.